Max Planck Society

10/07/2026

Here comes the ☀️ The first results of the Sunrise III mission were released yesterday. The data contain new insights, for example into tornadoes in the Sun’s plasma or into the processes taking place before and during a solar flare.

Two years after the stratospheric flight of the Sunrise III solar observatory, the mission’s first results are released today. Sunrise III has captured observational data of unprecedented quality from the Sun’s visible surface and lower atmospheric layers. The data contain new information, such ...

07/07/2026

Rice University and the Max Planck Society establish a partnership on quantum materials: through the “Quantum Materials – Rice and Max Planck Partnership” they advance global leadership in quantum materials and technology.
https://www.mpg.de/26861217/rice-university-and-the-max-planck-society-establish-a-partnership-on-quantum-materials

03/07/2026

Double Take👀 Shell-less marine gastropods from the nudibranch group – aka sea slugs! – are striking for their extravagant brilliance of colour and diverse array of forms. A research team has now discovered exactly how these creatures produce their vibrant, shimmering patterns.
According to their findings, this brilliant coloration does not arise from traditional pigments as previously assumed, but rather from so-called photonic crystals made of the DNA building block guanine. The specific wavelengths of light reflected – and thus the colours we perceive – depend entirely on the nano-dimensions of these crystals.
This mechanism mirrors the way many birds and butterflies produce their brilliant hues. In nudibranchs, however, the crystals are arranged in countless microscopically small "pixels." As a result, the sea slugs’ coloration closely resembles the technique of Impressionist painters, who achieved their luminous effect by placing distinct dabs colour side by side.

30/06/2026

Do you like factchecking? AuthentiSci is a web tool that allows scientists to provide feedback on the validity of science-related media. It is a non-profit organization, established with the support of Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings and Max Planck Society.

Our objectives:
-> Safeguard scientific integrity
-> Provide expert reviews
-> Help navigate facts and misinformation

Are you a scientist? Join our initiative!
https://authentisci.com/
Thanks! 👏🙏 Ana Alonso Serrano / Postdoctoral researcher at Humboldt Universität zu Berlin and Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics, Potsdam

26/06/2026

The exhibition “Freedom in the Equation” is dedicated to Ukrainian scientists whose , and lives were forcibly cut short by political oppression, war and the lack of academic freedom. It tells the stories of ten Ukrainian researchers who had the potential to change the world forever.

The exhibition will open its doors on 1 July at the Free Ukrainian University in . https://ufu-muenchen.de/ via Science at risk and Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings

The "Freedom in the Equation" exhibition continues to restore the voices of murdered and repressed Ukrainian scientists to the global academic community. Very soon, it will open its doors at the Ukrainian Free University in Munich.
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The exhibition is dedicated to Ukrainian scientists whose research, careers, and lives were violently cut short by political repression, war, colonial oppression, and the lack of scientific freedom. It shares the stories of ten Ukrainian researchers who possessed the potential to change the world forever.
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The portraits of the scientists were created by Niklas Elmehed, the official artist of the Nobel Prize. Previously, the "Freedom in the Equation" exhibition was successfully showcased at leading international institutions, including Harvard, Yale, and Wesleyan universities in the USA.
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The official opening will take place on July 1 at 18:30. To attend, please register via the link 👉 https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScTBZfICzC86YJqQaLLVlR-IJF_4rhk4YqwANR_A_mv5vPNHw/viewform
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📍 The exhibition was made possible through the joint efforts of the Kunsht and ЗМІN Фундація teams. Participation in the program was also supported by the Ukrainian Institute in Germany as part of the NUMO mobility program. We are grateful for communication support to Max Planck Society.

23/06/2026

Huge congratulations to Sara Wickström! Our director at the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Biomedicine in Münster has been awarded the Körber Prize 2026.

Sara Wickström discovered that genes respond not only to chemical signals but also to the physical properties of their surroundings. Her findings opened a new field of research and could eventually lead to new ways of treating cancer, organ fibrosis and other conditions, many of which being age-related.

21/06/2026

Biofluorescence discovered in the fire salamander: Ultraviolet-induced blue-green biofluorescence reveals a previously undetected trait in a well-studied amphibian 😳

A new study reports the first evidence of biofluorescence in fire salamanders (Salamandra salamandra). Under ultraviolet light, these urodeles display striking blue-green fluorescence across their skin, appearing as bright speckles on the flanks and ventral region, as well as in their glandular secretions. Analyses reveal that different tissues produce distinct fluorescent signals, likely involving compounds transported through the bloodstream. Remarkably, these secretions remain fluorescent on surfaces for over 24 hours. The distribution of external fluorescence together with the persistent glow of secretions suggests that fluorescence could play a role in communication of fire salamanders, adding new evidence to the growing number of studies showing ecologically relevant fluorescence in amphibians.

Read the article in Royal Society Open Science:
https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.251991

17/06/2026

What a joy it is to celebrate our amazing young scientists today! 🌟🙃 Huge congratulations to our 30 brilliant doctoral researchers honoured with the Otto Hahn Medal for their extraordinary achievements! 🎉

|📷: Our fantastic winners with (a very proud!😊) Max Planck President, Patrick Cramer.

17/06/2026

Congratulations to Ovo Labs! Melina Schuh, director at Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences, Agata Zielinska, and Oleksandr Yagensky received the Max Planck Startup Award of the Stifterverband yesterday in Frankfurt. The company aims to significantly improve success rates in assisted reproduction.

w/th Bundesministerium für Forschung, Technologie und Raumfahrt

16/06/2026

Have you checked out our MAX PLANCK shop yet? If not, it's high time! 😀 From classic merchandise like cozy hoodies & stylish T-shirts to everyday essentials like mugs, pens & tote bags, we've got it all in our signature Max Planck look – and there’s something for all ages: even a cool baby onesie for the tiny explorers in your life!

So, no matter whether you're a Planckie & part of the Max Planck community, a general science fan or looking for the perfect present for the science enthusiast in your life, you're sure to find something special in our store. We may not be *entirely* unbiased, but we're great fans ourselves! Check it out here for a good browse:

https://www.mpg-shop.de/